Rails to trails, garden, market.
And lilbrit, if you are around, I have a gardening question.
Also, this pic came in the email yesterday, and it looked like a postcard to me:
I like that the cats are all concerned about anything moving outside, and the dog is focused on quality time on the couch while making sure no one drops any food.
*** Update ***
Got some rhubarb, a shitaki mushroom branch to throw in the woods behind the garden, some fresh tomatoes, and some beef (pound of ground beef, one ny strip, one ribeye) for my grilling needs the next month. Was a really good turnout today and Lily was very well behaved. She is just so good with kids. I’m thinking maybe in a couple months after obedience school, I should look into training her to visit kids and the elderly in the hospital. Her disposition is just unbelievable. Here is apic with her the other day and my friend’s kids:
Sweetest doggie EVAH!
MMM
I think the world needs less censorship
beltane
The cats appear to be looking out the window but what they are really doing is gossiping about the dog.
Carnacki
Maybe the dog has Gone Galt and the cats have to be watch cats now.
geg6
Great pic. And it kinda illustrates to me the difference between dogs and cats. I, too, have a question for the BJers. Is Mario Lemieux the first Cup-winning player to win the Cup as an owner?
JGabriel
Belated congratulations on the victory of your local athletics club. Though I remain perplexed as to the moral value of a spectator activity in which at least one side must lose and be humiliated.
Frankly, it seems rather ungenerous.
.
J.
Love the picture and your caption, John. : )
Can you all believe it’s been a year since Tim Russert suddenly passed away? God, I miss him.
demkat620
Off to the kids last soccer game and yes, everybody gets a trophy day. My baby is very excited.
JL
The sharpei reminds me of the sharpei that I owned. Damn I still miss that dog.
gnomedad
Ha-ha, I have seen the reverse situation. Great photo.
Bill E Pilgrim
Meanwhile, as dog saliva was to Pavlov’s obsessive bell ringing, so is the corporate media to the days-long clanging of the HMS Wingnut firetruck fleet softening them up with a sonic assault to where they must now debate “both sides” of whether extreme right-wing nut cases come from the right or left.
This is from the dirty freaking hippies of the liberal New York Times.
The best parts are the continued quotes from conservatives saying, and I paraphrase, but not much:
“It’s an outrageous insult to claim that this guy was a right wing extremist. We are NOT!”
Edit: fixed to unmix the metaphor slightly.
Michael D.
@MMM:
Fixed. :-)
Michael D.
Did you know Archie married that bitch, Veronica? Seriously. I can’t imagine how Betty must be feeling?
Krista
@Michael D.: She’s way too good for him. I would have kicked his freckled ass to the curb long ago.
Brick Oven Bill
On this trip, I have come to appreciate NASCAR. It used to just be cars driving around in circles to me, now I recognize it as cutting edge engineering and human performance. There is tire pressure, strut tension, some mechanism in the back that controls how much the centripetal forces of the car body are transferred to the frame, and other things which I do not understand yet. All of these are designed and controlled by different engineering teams who attempt to achieve perfection to give their team an edge.
Then there are the pit crews who act as one. Then there is the driver who has to endure all of those forces for hours as he pilots his machine around the track at 160 miles per hour where a miscalculation of a few inches could result in death. Drivers coordinate with each other to employ drafting on the straight aways, as Froude taught us that speed is proportional to the square root of length. The longer the line of cars, the faster they can travel. And then they fight in the curves and start over again.
NASA used to represent American engineering excellence. This is no longer. Compared to NASCAR, NASA is a Columbia University sociology class with thrusters.
JGabriel
@Michael D.: Jughead is looking very betrayed. What’s up with that?
.
JGabriel
Why are Ivy League sociology classes – the attempt to codify and learn what methods work best for helping people in difficult straits – the wingnut epitome of wussiness?
It’s almost like they want people to suffer.
.
Michael D.
@Brick Oven Bill: Are you drinking? It’s too early to start drinking you know. Unless you are in Europe, in which case, carry on.
Bill E Pilgrim
@Michael D.:
It’s too early to start drinking in Europe.
Though that’s partly because it was too late to keep drinking last night.
Carry on.
Brick Oven Bill
Another form of excellence I have been enjoying is the NBA playoffs, also cutting edge human performance. The problem with Ivy League ‘Liberal Arts’ colleges is that they are not Liberal Arts colleges. The Liberals Arts were developed as humanity sought freedom from the oppression of the Middle Ages Catholic Church.
There are seven Liberal Arts; Grammar, Rhetoric, Logic, Arithmetic, Geometry, Music, and Astronomy. Scholars of that day used these Arts and their own Senses of Sight, Hearing, Taste, Smell, and Touch to try and understand the world, the universe, and the forces that make things work. Galileo was probably the most accomplished scholar of all time. The Catholic Church shut him up for it.
Today, the ‘Liberal Arts’ crowd are the ones shutting up anybody who argues that one sports skill set would be honed by an extra 30,000 years of evolution in the Neolithic Era, while a different sports skill set would be honed by an evolutionary progression from stone to bronze to iron. Today’s ‘Liberal Arts’ are oppressing thought, which is the opposite of what they are supposed to do.
This is why Columbia University sucks.
Montysano
My son is off at Bonnaroo, rode w/his girlfriend, and I’m working on his car, a fine old ’83 Volvo wagon. Trying to replace the blower motor, and it’s the worst car project I’ve ever undertaken. Pray for me.
Luc
… and compared to Formula 1 racing, NASCAR is like a soap box cart derby. So what?
gnomedad
Nellie McKay sings “The Dog Song”.
Violet
I love this photo. It is like a postcard. The cats are so fascinated by the outdoors and the dog is so happy on the sofa. Lovely.
LD50
Please. Jughead’s had a thing for Archie for decades.
Thadeus Horne
@ gnomedad
Good call. She rocks.
Lily fan
Lily looks wonderful. I hope you do train her to make the visits. I’ve worked in nursing homes and have seen how touching and even just watching an animal makes the people there come alive.
asiangrrlMN
@Carnacki: Love it!
@Krista: I’m with Krista on this. Archie is a tool. Ken Jones (I know, I know) actually had a funny and good segment on this. In addition, someone wrote that Archie choosing Veronica is a teenage boy’s choice whereas a real man would have chose Betty.
John, I love that first pic! It’s almost too perfect. I didn’t realize Lily was that small. She looks so happy with the kids.
Nicole
Love the photo of Lily. Keep ’em coming.
JL
John, You are a lucky man.
Violet
Oh, my gosh, yes, please do this! I used to work in the medical field and the therapy animals are just the BEST. They are so popular with people in hospitals, etc. and do so, so, so much good. If you feel called to it and can fit it in your schedule, you would be doing such a great thing.
Lily sounds like such a good candidate for being a therapy dog. Considering you just brought her home a few days ago, she’s progressing so quickly and being so good with those kids. I’m so proud of her, even vicariously! You have done a wonderful thing, giving her a forever home. You are both so lucky.
Yeah, no kidding. It’s like the Ginger or Mary Ann decision. No brainer for adults.
KCinDC
Yow. On The Corner, KeepGitmoOpen.org is running an ad with an incredibly tasteless animation of the collapse of WTC. I guess we should be thankful there are no little animated people jumping out the windows.
Also, for some reason the ad says “Remember Sept 10th? So do we.” I’m just a hapless liberal, but as I recall, the attacks were on September 11.
wonkie
Oh, what a sweet picute of Lily. I am so happy for both of you.
It took two or three years for my rescue dog to be safe with anyonne but but me or my husband. i still warn people not to pat him. He’s a fear biter ans, while his episodes of fear are less frequent, they still happen.
Fortunately he is a nip-and -run biter, not a sink-the-fangs-in-and -take -a-bite biter.
AhabTRuler
John, I thought we covered this last night. The little hussy should be nowhere around children, women, or men of god.
Brachiator
@Michael D.:
I can’t imagine how Archie Comics still even exist.
John, Great Lily pic. She certainly has a way with kids.
Litlebritdifrnt
John I’m just on my way out of the house to go to Myrtle Beach for the night, will be back tomorrow evening to answer any questions you may have.
InflatableCommenter
You should do more googling before you decide to write your book report, Bill. NASCAR cars are all about standardization. Safety and uniformity are key to the rules about the cars.
Perfection in NASCAR is about execution, not invention.
Little Dreamer
I haven’t checked the thread to see if this has been addressed, but… Christiane Amanpour is broadcasting live from Iran and saying that the reports of violence we’re hearing about aren’t true – would someone like to tell me then, why she’s broadcasting from a fucking FIELD with a mountain behind her and obviously not in an urban area where other people might exist?
Christiane Amanpour apparently is a tool of Khomeni.
Little Dreamer
They want you to remember what things were like BEFORE all the brainless shit happened.
asiangrrlMN
@asiangrrlMN:
Um, chosen. A real man would have chosen Betty. Sheesh!
@Little Dreamer:
She should talk to Richard Engel from Rachel’s show. I think he would beg to differ.
coffeegirl
I asked my husband:
Betty or Veronica? “Neither.”
Ginger or Maryanne? “Both.”
heh.
AhabTRuler
Naw, but I would do bong rips with Dawn Wells (and would have with Bob Denver: “Pass the pipe, little buddy!”).
The Moar You Know
@Brick Oven Bill: Shorter NASCAR: turning left for 500 miles.
Shorter NASA: the Space Shuttle engine generates 37 million horsepower per launch, more than every other racecar in history combined.
I think we know who the tea-drinking, pinkies in the air wussies are here, and it’s not the folks at NASA.
Phoebe
I choose The Professor.
Archie The Unworthy gets to choose, asiangrrl, because B and V have both been drooling over his tic-tac-toe head since day 1.
I also did not know Lily was that tiny. Is she full grown?
CeriConversion
Love the pictures, John, and I join the others in saying “Yes!” to the visitation idea. A friend of mine who had multiple open-heart surgeries a few years ago attributes a good chunk of his speedy recovery to being in a hospital with visiting dogs he could pet.
AhabTRuler
Well, the SSME’s combined produce about that, while the SRB’s combined provide about twice the thrust that the SSME’s and do most of the work.
[/STS pedant]
LV-426
She’s smaller than I first thought.
OT but iTunes is selling first season episodes of WKRP for $.99.
I’m downloading Turkeys Away as I type this.
Little Dreamer
I missed the visitation idea. My answer is no. The dog has been traumatized, the last thing you need to do is put her in positions where she has to deal with a lot of strange people. Perhaps in a few years after she’s gotten used to you, but you shouldn’t be thinking about that now, IMHO.
I think the idea of dogs visiting terminal patients is great, don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think it’s wise for Lily, at least not at this time.
Brick Oven Bill
Although engineering is not a Liberal Art, it is still an art when practiced correctly. I concur that NASCAR is highly standardized. The art is to meet those standards as efficiently as possible, and go right up to the edge, without crossing the line. College sociology is not an art at all. College sociology is make believe. This is why I strongly doubt that there are any sociologists in the NASCAR pit crews.
But those variables; spring tension, that support thing that controls the body yawl of the car, and tire pressure, they all change with time as the tires wear, and the track changes temperature and begins to accumulate rubber, causing variations in the coefficient of friction between the rubber and the road, all of these variables have to be optimized to be competitive. I agree that this is execution.
I also doubt that NASCAR would hire some crazy female as a senior executive who would strap on a diaper, and drive from Texas to Florida to confront a romantic rival over their dreamy co-worker. This is a very important lesson if there are any young men who read this. There are two items that start with the letter ‘P’ that you never, ever want to get at the same place. The first one of these items is a ‘Paycheck’.
You Don't Say
Agree with Little Dreamer. Lily needs some carefree years before she’s saddled with a job. She’s had a tough life until now.
grimc
re: Archie, Veronica and Betty
http://mightygodking.com/index.php/2009/06/03/it-puts-the-lotion-on-its-skin/
http://mightygodking.com/index.php/2009/06/09/update-betty-cooper-still-insane/
smiley
@LV-426:
Season one is available free on hulu.
tess
Given Lily’s size and good nature and general mellowness, she would be great with the Reading Education Assistance Dogs program, where she’s certified to sit while a new reader practices his skills by reading his book to her.
The children’s dept in our library has 2 days per month where we do what we call “Read to Rover” for kids between 6-9, and it always fills up fast. Kids just love it, (plus there’s the thrill of having a DOG in the LIBRARY!!!)
You should look into R.E.A.D. and whether your local public library, local schools, hospitals, or day care/after school care facilities are doing anything like this. Lily would be a natural at it, I bet.
D-Chance.
Neshi ponders “things I don’t understand”: Why would Joan Walsh go on O’Reilly?
My first thought was confirmed, buried within her long, contorted piece over on Salon. To summarize in four words (her own word, I might add): “I like doing TV.”
Pure selfishness. Ego. The need to promote oneself. Tiller? Who’s that? Oh, him, whatever. This was all about Walsh and her self-aggrandizement and her attempts to move up the punditry/advocacy ladder. She could not care less about whatever issue she’s supporting… it’s only a vehicle for her to spin and yell and holler herself into the big leagues.
Cain
Oh man, Iran is going nuts thanks to that bit of vote fraud going on giving that moron who is tanking the country economically wise and he also lied during the debates and just giving them.
I guess Iranians need to decide what they as a people are going to do. But I can see that they are pretty pissed off. The police have jailed all the journalists, and expats are blogging like nut:
My friend
Things are getting tense..
cain
JenJen
John, all of my Aussie Sheps have taken and passed the AKC Canine Good Citizen program, and if Lily really takes to her training, you should get her in the program. I’ve never gone for Service Dog, but in my area, being a CGC Dog is all you need to be able to visit hospitals and nursing homes with your dogs. About twice a month, Rocco and I visit nursing homes, and it’s such a joy to see how happy he makes people. I think you and Lily would just love the program.
BTW, dogs do not need to be full-bred to enter this AKC program. For example, Rocco is as pure as an Aussie Shep can be, but was never registered AKC. I personally find all of that stuff kind of silly, because I love mutts anyway, and because I have no interest in breeding or showing. (To be honest, my little mutt Strider wouldn’t stand a chance at passing CGC! He’s just a little too independent, and while sweet and wonderful, never took to obedience training.)
@Cain: The news out of Iran is deeply troubling. What happened? Did the mullahs fix it? I understand there are now early reports that Mousavi has been arrested. Andrew Sullivan is keeping tabs at his site and so far, his reporting and round-ups of news reports has been the best I’ve seen in the English-speaking world.
Max
@D-Chance.: I saw a clip of Joan Walsh “debating” with Liz Cheney on Campbell Brown’s stupid show. I think Joan is smart, but she comes across very mellow and low-fi in these situations.
Interesting lead up on Twitter to her interview, Joan was asking for tips and advice before to O’Reilly. Markos said “cancel”.
I wish she would have. I just don’t think its worth even trying to debate on Fox News anymore, especially their primetime shows. Let them continue to eat their own, i.e. Limbaugh / Shep Smith.
DemonDem
I like the therapy dog idea, but I also think it’s a good idea to take your time and see how things develop. One of our dogs (a boston terrier) is a terrific therapy animal, but the other (a standard poodle who was timid when we rescued her) gets freaked out by all the strange noises (medical equipment, gurnees, etc.) and smells in the hospital and can’t pass the test (even though my own mother-in-law is doing the observation.)
Given how well Lily seems to be progressing, I’d hazard a guess that she would really enjoy visiting a hospital as she gets more confident, but you definitely want to be sure not to over-stimulate her. Watching how she copes with obedience school will be a great chance to gague her progress, and you can take it from there.
Delia
Here’s a new one in the Cops Over The Top Department. In a Cincinnati suburb they tased and then shot a five pound Chihuahua mix on its own front porch. Apparently the dog was resisting arrest and they had no choice.
Meanwhile the five year old in the family is crying himself to sleep every night and wandering around the neighborhood barking to get his lost dog to come home.
(h/t Arthur Silber)
Ripley
Archie’s not so square after all…
Beauzeaux
Doesn’t matter who Archie marries. The marriage will eventually fail because of Archie’s secret proclivities.
JenJen
@Delia: This story has been sickening me for a few days now. Do you live in Cincy, too?
Anne Laurie
John, I second Tess’s suggestion — if Lily loves kids, she’s a natural for R.E.A.D. Some rescue dogs have a problem with hospitals / nursing homes because the atmosphere reminds them of a shelter.
Helping Lily get her CGC (Canine Good Citizen) certification is an excellent foundation step. Most dog-training facilities these days that don’t hold their own sanctioned tests can give you a list of local groups that do. But Lily needs some more time to be sure that you really, REALLY intend to keep her forever, because the final stay-with-a-stranger-while-you-walk-away part stresses out even *calm* rescue dogs!
Delia
@JenJen:
No. I’m in Oregon. I just happened to find it on the intertubes last night and was sickened. I know that the regulars here tend to be both animal lovers and outraged by trigger-happy police, so I thought this would be a good place to post it.
As an unrelated sidenote, the Cincy police mediator is moving to Eugene, which, contrary to its hippy-dippy image, has had some serious problems in this area.
Zuzu's Petals
Lovely pic. She is such a pretty dog, and littler than I thought. Like a fox, almost.
gex
@Delia: One of the saddest casualties in the “war on *some* drugs” has been the cart blanche it has given cops to shoot dogs. I haven’t read about the Cincy shooting so I don’t know if this particular case is related to the WOD, but cops bust into a house (often the wrong damn house) and if the dog does anything but lie down or leave the room, it gets shot.
My dog loves people so much, he would definitely run up to the cops to be friendly. And I’m sure that’s all they’d need to empty a clip in him.
Do these guys not realize how big of wimps it makes them look? They can’t deal with a Chihuahua without their Glocks?
ksecus
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v226/kesecus/fugi009.jpg
Heres a picture of Kitch the cat. Shes my cat and she kinda looks like your cat in the pic you posted…Shes really a pretty cat. .
Zuzu's Petals
@gex:
I wonder whatever happened with the case of the small town mayor whose dogs were shot in a botched SWAT raid? Talk about outrageous.
Zuzu's Petals
@Zuzu’s Petals:
Hmm, looks like the Maryland legislature is doing something about it.
MelodyMaker
what sort of procedure did you hire your friends’ kids to perform? Was it successful?
omen
so jealous!